Why you should know your house’s past … and keep track of its present

If These Walls Could Talk …

By Wendy Page/Life@Home

Photo: The Power of Forever Photography/GettyImages

If your home’s walls could talk to prospective buyers, what would they say? Would they tell a rich history of past owners dating back to the 1800s? Would they tell the buyer that the water heater is eight years past its expiration date?

People love stories, and discovering the story behind your (possibly) historic house could help a buyer feel a connection to it. It can help financially, too, if you uncover a historically significant fact and are interested in selling it. Research into the home’s past, combined with learning the nuts and bolts about how the house was built, will tell you how the house was — and should be — maintained.

“In the teens and turn of century, electrical was different than today,” says house inspector Dan Osborn. “But appreciating that a home has a different system and doing something about it are two different things.” Knowing a house’s history can explain why the closets are so small, but it helps more to know that “the old galvanized piping, found in older homes, has been updated to copper or plastic (PVC),” says Andrea Crisafulli Russo, owner of Crisafulli Bros.

Especially in our history-rich Capital District, a house’s legacy can add to its value, though it’s difficult to place a price tag on it. “If this is the house where Herman Melville was born, that’s one thing,” says Ellen Gamache, local history librarian at the Albany Public Library. “If it was a prominent person from the 19th century who’s unknown, that’s another.”

Gamache offers an example of how researching the history can benefit the homeowner: “With zoning problems, say there’s a home that’s been broken into a couple of flats, and they want to turn it into a single family home. You can trace it back to learn it was originally built as a single-family.” The library has reference books to guide you through the process, although Gamache says the best repository for records and documents is the Albany County Hall of Records.

If you’re looking for a primer on how to research your house’s past, a good place to start is Historic Albany Foundation’s Director of Preservation Services Cara R. Macri’s presentation, “The Story of My House.” There she details how to research a house’s history by looking at maps, deeds, city directories and census records. “The Albany County Hall of Records, the library, assessment records. … All together, these can help tell the story of how the house has changed and of the people who lived there,” Macri says. “Building permits go as far back as 1904, so you can really get the people’s stories and the house’s story.” You may get a historic designation for the house; at the very least, you’ll have a narrative to pass on to the next owner.

Photo: by Wendy Page/Life@Home

But telling your house’s story isn’t just for older homes. Savvy realtors suggest putting together a book to leave with new buyers. “What I try to convince the homeowners is to open a book and write down dates — about the roof, appliances, landscaping, everything,” says Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate/Tech Valley owner Miguel Berger. “There’s a trail and it’s easier to remember years later what you did.”

For the seller, this trail is indispensable. “It would be good for sellers to have actual facts of what was done to the house,” Berger says. “Information is power. Any time you can justify anything done to your house — even the sprinkler system — you’ll know what you can expect [when selling]. As a buyer, if I go into a house and I see a manual, my comfort level will go way high.”

Since nothing lasts forever, “keeping service records and knowing when the last time something was replaced are important pieces of information for someone buying your home,” agrees Crisafulli Russo. “The average hot-water heater gets 8 to 12 years, so [knowing] the last time you replaced it would be helpful to buyers.”

Other important aspects to note concern the piping, sump pump and heating system. “These are things no one wants to plan for [at an inspection], so work it into your budget so it’s not a surprise,” she adds. “Drain cleaning is a huge piece. Gain any knowledge you can — learn if there’s a history of backups.”

Osborn is continuously stunned that most people don’t know anything about the house they’re buying. “They spend more time researching the purchase of a TV or automobile than they do for the biggest investment of their lives,” he says. Osborn is such an advocate for pre-listing inspections that he started House Facks, a program designed to help the homeowner track the history of his house forever. “The selling point is that the home inspector comes out every one to two years and documents on the report what’s been done to the house, what was wrong and what corrective measures the homeowner did,” he explains. “You can catch small defects before they become large defects.”

The seller can share the home history report at HouseFacks.com, which “shows the prospective buyer the care you took with documenting everything that happened, and infers that you did take care of the house,” Osborn says. “It’s an investment to make sure your house is at the top of its market. I think that’s the most valuable thing a homeowner can do.”

Or start your own journal, as I did. It began as a way to remember the paint colors and purchase dates of furniture, and evolved into updates on our water heater, appliances and so on. Do I update it religiously? I wish I could say yes. Rather, I turn to it when we make a home improvement or change a paint color. I also jot down who did the work. We don’t plan on leaving this house any time soon, but when we do, the new owners will have way more information than they’ll need, which can only be a good thing.

Herman Melville may not have slept in my house, but I can explain why the entrance to the attic is hidden in my son’s bedroom closet.

Where to Start Your Historical Research

In addition to visiting the county clerk and library, here are some places to trace the history of your home.

HouseFacks.com is one online method for tracking the history of your home. Other options include the MyLowe’s card, which contains your in-store Lowe’s purchase history, items you personally add to your profile, as well as a reminder system to keep up with maintenance of your products; online home maintenance log templates; and workbooks galore (check Amazon.com), with two of the most popular being The Home Owner’s Journal and The Home Owner’s Diary.